Can you neuter at 9 weeks?

Completely agree!  I understand the shelters must do it as their contribution to population control, but it is not the right thing for the body's growth and development.

KarissaKS

What would be "pretty great" to me is if people were responsible enough to be trusted to spay/neuter their adopted animal on their own when the animal reached the appropriate age.  I think putting a tiny puppy or kitten through surgery and denying their body the hormones needed to grow properly is just wrong.  I, personally, would never adopt a dog who had this done.  My focus is in dog sports and dogs who have been spayed or neutered at an early age are far more prone to joint & bone problems stemming from the lack of hormones that leads to overgrowth.  I don't even want my dogs neutered at the "normal" age of six months, so to do it at eight weeks is completely unthinkable to me.

Yea it sucks how little responsibility the average person can be expected to take for their dog's wellbeing.  It's estimated that compliance rates for s/n in shelter animals released unaltered with a voucher for the surgery is around 30% - how sad is that?!

The SPCA shows up frequently at our Farmers Market on Saturday (they have a rescue section there) with litters of pups as young as 10 weeks - all spayed and neutered. That's the result of someone dumping a pregnant dog off at the shelter.

Joyce

Yeah,

      Some vets wont because it can hinder development of the urinary tract.

It's no worse for they're health then getting spayed/neutered at an order age

oh yes it is. Most people concerned about their dog's health wait until the dog is totally finished growing- age 2-ish. It affects all sorts of things adversely to spay/neuter before then. Early neuters are prone to incontinence, sarcomas, arthritis, etc. Really sad we have to cut years off dogs lives and reduce their quality of life just because people are too stupid to be able to prevent breeding. I personally would refuse to own a dog neutered at 8 weeks; I currently own two dogs neutered at age six months whose quality of life has been impaired for years due to not having been allowed to mature properly.

mudpuppy

I currently own two dogs neutered at age six months whose quality of life has been impaired for years due to not having been allowed to mature properly.

And for all the dogs with issues, there are plenty more without.  I know there are risks, but I'd truly appreciate it if people would quit the fear mongering that may prevent pups in a shelter from finding a home....

stardog85

And for all the dogs with issues, there are plenty more without.  I know there are risks, but I'd truly appreciate it if people would quit the fear mongering that may prevent pups in a shelter from finding a home....

*applauding* VERY well said!

stardog85

And for all the dogs with issues, there are plenty more without.  I know there are risks, but I'd truly appreciate it if people would quit the fear mongering that may prevent pups in a shelter from finding a home....

THANK YOU!

All of my animals were fixed at under a year old. Most of my cats were done at the 8 week mark. And none have issues. My oldest cat is 14 now, and still plays like a kitten. The only health issues we have here are allergies - and unless that's related to the reproduction organs....there have been no 'side effects' from altering early.

As stated in a similar thread, my dog was spayed at 8 weeks of age and I believe her leaking that came on at 4yrs of age is a result of this early spay.  I am not fear mongering, I respect the decision the rescue chose to make in spaying/neutering the litter. 

I love my dog and I will deal with the fact that she was spayed at 8 weeks.  I very happily adopted her at 11 weeks, not knowing the impact of spaying her so early.  I would adopt her again, knowing what I know now because she is an exceptionally wonderful dog.  It would not stop me, but it's something people, who are REQUESTING to be educated about it, should know and make a decision for themselves. 

Wouldn't you hate to see that dog returned in 3 years when it starts "inexplicably peeing" on the bed???  I fully appreciate the need to place dogs, but I also fully believe in HONESTY on the part of a rescue when it chooses to spay/neuter at less than 6 months old.  They expect the same from the adopters, I'd think the adopter should be able to expect the same of the rescue.

 I don't know what vet said that early fixing hinders the development of the urinary tract, but he obviously forgot a lot of things he/she should have learned in school. Extremely rare vulvar hypoplasia (still not actually proven) and urinary incontinence (not due to development, usually idiopathic response due to an already congenitally narrow or hypoplastic urethra, and still very rare) are the only things reported, and the studies that support them are still shaky, even. That's balderdash.

 Early neuters are prone to incontinence, sarcomas, arthritis, etc. 

 Sources? As in *multiple, agreeing, statistically significant, peer-reviewed, large-case-number studies*, not one small study done in an unpronouncable country, not a couple websites and not grandma's anecdotes. What about the reduction of mammary tumors in female dogs to near 0% with spaying early? Fewer vaginal prolapses, no uterine cancer or metritis, a marked reduction in hormonally-drive cancer? Early spay has also been linked to control of other diseases like diabetes, epilepsy, and demodecosis.

And markedly reduced incidence of prostatic hyperplasia, and perineal hernias, and perianal adenomas in dogs neutered early?

The only mildly (but exaggereated) truth to what you said is that certain giant breeds dogs neutered early can have an increased incidence of hip issues, and the occasionaly spay incontinence in the female (which is becoming more linked to technique and congenital/preexisting and exacerbated urinary structural issues than age).

Early spaying helps with epilepsy and demodex? That's... scary! Emma's epilepsy is getting worse, and her demodex still pops up every now and then. She was spayed at 8 weeks. I guess she *might* be worse off if she wasn't. I would have spayed her at 6 months, given the choice. Now? I wait, if the dog is healthy, until it's mature. Ena will not be spayed until she is finished developing, or until her health indicates (by crazy cycles, or demodex, or something like that) that she needs to be spayed sooner.

 They are not sure of the mechanism behind it yet, but that's what data is showing. It may have something to do with hormone levels exacerbating certain disease processes. Yeah, when I heard it from my surgeons I did a triple-take - doesn't seem to make sense initially. But yep, weird.